Door closing and locking means for coal cars



Sept. 9, 1952 c. J. KORANDA DOOR CLOSING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR COAL CARS Filed Dec. 22, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. C/arenae J Kara/Ida BY 1/ A /7'7/y Sept. 1952 c. J. KORANDA 2,609,758

DOOR CLOSING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR COAL CARS Filed D90. 22, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. C/arence'J. Koranda P 9, 1952 c. J. KORANDA 2,609,758

DOOR CLOSING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR COAL CARS Filed Dec. 22, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 9, 1952 c. J. KORANDA DOOR CLOSING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR COAL CARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 22, 1948 m m K J w 0 8 f h 6 Patented Sept. 9, 1952 noon CLOSING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR COAL CARS

Clarence J. Koranda, Chicago, 111., assignor .to

Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 22, 1948, Serial No. 66,728

This invention relates to closing and locking mechanisms for hopper car doors, such as coal cars. More particularly it is applicable to hopper car doors of the type disclosed in Campbell Patent No. 2,030,240, issued February 11, 1936.

An object of this invention is to provide a close ing and latching mechanism of the character referred to which facilitates operation of the door in such manner'as to insure the safety of the operator, particularly when he is required to close the door in close quarters as on trestles or over pits.

Another object of this invention is to provide closing mechanism in which energy is stored therein when the door is forced open under the influence of discharging lading and which operates to return the door toward the closed position in conjunction with a latching mechanism which catches and locks the door in the closed position.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a torsion means for closing the door wherein the opening movement of the door twists the torsion means so as to store energy therein for the closing movement in combination with a pawl and ratchet mechanism which holds the torsion means against reverse operation and the door in the open position until the pawl is released by the operator.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description and claims and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figurel is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of a hopper car and hopper, and illustrating the hopper door in the open position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a hopper car, showing the hopper door closed and the closing mechanism in locked position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View corre-- sponding substantially to the line 33 of Figure l, and disclosing the manner of supporting the torsion bar of the closing mechanism intermediate its ends;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of the anchoring means employed for one end of the torsion bar;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of a fulcrum casting carried by the torsion bar which supports the door closing arm;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the hopper door in the open position with the pawl and ratchet mechanism in position to restrain reverse movement of the torsion bar;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the pawl and ratchet mechanism corre- 4 Claims. (Cl. 105-286) 2 sponding substantially to the line 1-1 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view of a hopper and hopper door, similar to Figure 1, but showing a diiferent embodiment of the torsion means which may be used in practicing this invention; and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view through the torsion means and corresponding substantially to the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

As shown in the drawings the invention is applied to a hopper car of the so-called W type in which the hoppers extend below the center sill of the car and are. arranged in transversely aligned pairs, each with a hopper on each side of the center sill. Although only one hopper and door controlling mechanism therefor are illustrated in the drawings, it will be understood that each of the remaining hoppers and door controlling structures is similar to the one illustrated and each is adapted for operation independently of the others.

Referring now particularly to Figure 1 of the drawings, it will be observed that the structure includes a center sill A, a hingebutt angle B on which is hung a hopper door C that carries a locking mechanism D. The door 0 forms a closing means for a hopper E which is carried by the center sill A and a side sill F.

In cars provided with hoppers of the type here disclosed when itbecomes necessary to hold the door C in the closed position momentarily while a locking bar I is' being forced into engagement with a latch hook 2, the task of so doing is rather difficult because of the angle at which the door C is positioned when closed and the awkward stance that the operator is obliged to take when the car is located on a trestle or over a pit or is positioned in limited quarters.

In order to facilitate the closing of the door C a torsion bar 3 is provided. The torsion bar 3 may be formed of spring steel and, as shown, it may have a rectangular cross section. It is anchored at its inner end by an anchor casting 4 and it carries intermediate its ends near the center of the hopper door Cja lifting bar or arm 5 which rests against the door C on a wear plate 6. The lifting arm 5 is attached to the torsion bar 32 by means of a fulcrum casting l which is shown more clearly in Figure 5 of the drawings. The outside end of the torsion bar 3 rests in a side bearing 8 which takes the principal part of the thrust transmitted through a ratchet wheel 9 that is locked on the torsion bar 3 by a key l2. In order to avoid bending or buckling of the torsion bar 3 under load, a guide plate I I is located intermediate its ends at the point of maximum bending as shown more clearly in Figure 1.

In operation, the torsion bar 3 will apply only enough force to hold the door in the locked position as shown more'clearly in Figure'2 of the drawings. safety pawl it are shown here out of operative engagement. When the car is loaded, all parts of the door operating and latch mechanism will assume the position shown in Figure Now when the latch bar I of the locking mechanism D is raised out of engagement with the hook 2, the lading within the hopper E will force the door C outwardly so as to take the position shown in Figure 6. In this position the safety pawl it will move into operative engagement with the ratchet wheel 9 as indicated at E2. This will prevent the door C from being moved to the closed position when the pressure of the load diminishes due to the emptying of the car. When the lading discharges from the hopper E, the door C is moved to the position shown in Figure 6 as de scribed. The door C, in moving to this position, twists the torsion bar 3 to an extent sufficient to store en'ergytherein so as to assist in forcing the door C back to the closed position shown i- Figure 2. This return movement of the door C is accomplished by inserting a bar Id in a socket i3, formed integrally with the pawl iii, and forcing the bar downwardly in the direction indioated by the arrow E5 in Figure 6. This raises the pawl iii from engagement with the ratchet wheel 9 and in so doing releases the stored energy in thetorsion bar 3. ,This energy is transmitted through the arm 5 to force the door C back to the closed position.

In Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings there is shown an alternate construction in which a coil spring It and a round shaft H are substituted for the torsion bar 3 shown in Figures 1, 2 and 6 and described hereinbefore. The coil spring i5 is attached at one end to an anchor casting 58, corresponding to the anchor casting and at its other end to the round shaft ii. A lifting arm fulcrum casting 19, corresponding to the casting l, is secured to the shaft it against rotation, by a pin 29. The ratchet wheel 9 is secured to the shaft it by a pin 2 i. The mechanism shown in Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings functions in a manner similar to that previously described for. the door closing mechanism illustrated in the preceding figures. v Since certain changes can be made in the foregoing constructions and different "embodiments of the invention can be made without departing g from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter shown in'the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

'1. In a railway car having a hopper on the underside with a discharge opening, a floor inclined downwardly for directing lading to said opening, and a door for closing said opening pivoted adjacent the upper portion thereof about a horizontal axis and vertically 'swingable between a pendant open position and an inclined position with the swinging edge in meeting relat-ion with said slopingfioor, the combination with said door of a shaft disposed adjacent and parallel to the hinge axis of said door, an arm fast on and depending from said shaft and engaging said door, spring means biasing said shaft to move said arm in a direction to close said door and having energy stored therein when said door The ratchet wheel 9 and cooperating is opened as by lading discharging through said opening, a ratchet member fast on one end of said shaft, a pawl automatically biased into engagement with said ratchet member and adapted to engage the same when said door is swung to the open position to prevent said spring means from acting to close said door, and a socket member operatively connected to said pawl for detachably receiving an operating bar from a position to one'side of said car and out of the path of movement of said door for moving said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet member'to permit said spring means to close said door.

2. In a railway oar having a hopper on the underside with a discharge opening, a floor inclined downwardly for directing lading to said opening, and a door for closing said opening pivoted adjacent the upper portion thereof about a horizontal axis and vertically swingable between a pendant open position and an inclined position with the swinging edge in meeting relation with said sloping floor, the combination with said door of a shaft disposed adjacent and parallel to the hinge axis of said door, an arm fast on and depending from said shaft and engaging said door, spring means biasing said shaft to move said arm in a direction to close said door and having energy stored therein when said door is opened as by lading dischargingthrough said opening, a ratchet member fast on one end of said shaft, a pawl automatically biased by gravity into engagement with said ratchet member and adapted to engage the same when said door is swung to the open position to prevent said spring means from acting to close said door, and a socket member formed integrally with said pawl for detachably receiving an operating bar from a position to one side of said car and out of the path of movement of said door for moving said pawl out of engagement withfsaid ratchet member to permit said spring meansto close said door.

3. In a railway car having a hopper on the underside with a discharge opening, a floor inclined downwardly for directing lading to said opening, and a door for closing said opening .piv-

oted adjacent the upper'portion thereof abouta horizontal axis and vertically swingable between a pendant open position and an inclined position with the swinging edge in meeting relation with said sloping floor, the combination with said door of a torsion shaft disposed adjacent and parallel to the hinge axis of said door, socket means holding one end of said torsion shaft stationary, bearing means rockabl'y mounting the other end of said shaft, an arm fast on and depending from said shaft and engaging said door for moving the same to closed positionby energy stored in said torsion shaft when said door is opened as by lading discharging through said opening, a ratchet member fast on the other end of said shaft, a pawl.

ment with said ratchetmember to permitsaid spring means to close said door.

4. In a railway car having a hopper on the underside with a discharge opening, a fioor inclined downwardly for directing lading to said opening, and a door for closing said opening pivoted adjacent the upper portion thereof about a horizontal axis and vertically swingable between a pendant open position and an inclined position with the swinging edge in meeting relation with said sloping floor, the combination with said door of a shaft disposed adjacent and parallel to the hinge axis of said door, bearing means rotatably mounting said shaft, an arm fast on and depending from said shaft and engaging said door, a coil spring surrounding said shaft and connected thereto at one of its ends and anchored at its other end for biasing said shaft to move said am in a direction to close said door and having energy stored therein when said door is opened as by lading discharging through said opening, a ratchet member fast on one end of said shaft, a pawl automatically biased into engagement with said ratchet member and adapted to engage the same when said door is swung to the open position to prevent said coil spring from acting to close said door, and a socket member operatively connected to said pawl for detachably receiving door for moving said pawl out of engagement with an operating bar from a position to one side of said car and out of thepath of movement of said said ratchet member to permit said coil spring to close said door.

CLARENCE J. KORANDA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 744,552 How et a1. Nov. 17, 1903 773,002 Cottingham Oct. 25, 1904 345,306 Marick Feb. 26, 1907 1,241,478 Nemec Sept. 25, 1917 1,248,306 Chaffee Dec. 4, 1917 1,381,360 Strom June 14, 1921 2,030,240 Campbell Feb. 1 1936 2,102,321

Keene Dec. 14, 1937 

